She is known for playing the role of Audrey Hardy on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital (1964 to 2007, returning for appearances in 2009, 2013, and 2015).

[4] Ames spent her early life in Portland, but her family relocated to California so her parents could work, perform and teach at the Pasadena Playhouse.

[9][7] The same year, she appeared in Toast to Our Brother, a short film documenting fraternity life at UCLA, where she was a student at the time.

From 1954 to 1957, she guest starred on The Public Defender, I Led 3 Lives, Science Fiction Theatre, The Millionaire, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, You Are There, Highway Patrol, Broken Arrow, The Loretta Young Show, Cavalcade of America, General Electric Theater, Tales of Wells Fargo, and The Californians.

[15] From 1958 to 1959, Ames guest starred on Telephone Time, Trackdown, Perry Mason, Man Without a Gun, Lassie, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, Wagon Train, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Cimarron City, and Wanted Dead or Alive.

[5][1][14] In her only regular role on primetime television, Ames played Policewoman Sandy McAllister on The Lineup in the series' final season in 1959.

[8][1][5] She played Alice Hainline in the Western film Gunfighters of Abilene (1960), co-starring with Buster Crabbe and Barton MacLane.

[16][17] Ames guest starred on Thriller, Laramie, Stagecoach West, Whispering Smith, 77 Sunset Strip, The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive, Arrest and Trial, and Ben Casey.

[6] During her time on General Hospital, Ames had an uncredited role as Dr. Parkington's Nurse in the thriller film Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969), co-starring with her husband, Barry Cahill.

[1] In 1974, Ames was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on General Hospital.

[25] In 1997, she appeared as Audrey Hardy on ABC's special two-hour primetime preview of a new daytime soap opera Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital.